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I was eager to delve into Malayalam fiction, particularly drawn to thrillers over other genres. After scouring Instagram and Goodreads, I stumbled upon Lajo Jose, whose thriller novels boasted a substantial fan following. Amidst the numerous reviews, one title, "Hydrangea," consistently stood out, with readers praising its excellence above others. Naturally, "Hydrangea" became my top pick. The captivating blurb only heightened my anticipation!

The first thing that struck me when I started reading was my limited Malayalam vocabulary. It left me questioning whether my grasp of my native language was not as strong as I had presumed, or if the author intentionally used flowery prose. I had to underline many words and scribble their meanings in the margins!

A peculiar trend that caught my attention was the author's penchant for detailed descriptions of clothing and accessories. Did I really need to know that Imran sir was wearing a pink shirt and grey linen pants? Or that Esther had yellow Nike shoes? Moreover, did I need constant reminders that Imran drove a Ford Endeavor? Was it necessary to mention that Imran owned a Galaxy S Note 9 and used a stylus? It all seemed excessive and unnecessary.

I was also uncomfortable with the excessive sexualization of nearly every female character in the novel. As a thriller, such detailed descriptions of things like thighs showing through a towel or someone removing their panties for a massage felt like unnecessary distractions. These aspects seemed to serve no purpose for the plot and only added unnecessary length to the story. The plot itself could have been condensed to about 150 pages without these elements.

Despite all of the above, I must admit that the plot itself is quite compelling. It features a unique modus operandi that stands out. The author doesn't hold back on the gruesome details and isn't hesitant to eliminate multiple characters. The investigation is depicted in a realistic manner, adding authenticity to the narrative. The differences in cultural context between English fiction and Malayalam may explain why I found certain details and investigative methods surprising. The reveal at the end was truly shocking, although the end felt rushed. I would give the mystery aspect of the book a rating of 3/5, while the writing style and overall book would be a 2/5. I think I can safely conclude that I will not be picking up another book from this author any time soon.

This was my first graphic novel. What a fun way to read stories! The graphic style was simple, and so was the narration. I had not known much about Iran, the only things I knew were from bits of news, some from history textbooks, not much. This book opened my eyes - the world is not how we perceive, not modern Western civilization fighting against the Middle East. The author paints a grim picture but also reminds us that they were humans too. They rebelled. The author, then a child, rebelled in ways that were meaningful to her. There were no clear answers on who to believe, what to trust - I cannot imagine my childhood being spent going to funerals and hiding in the basement and hoping I don’t die. The author paints a simple picture of a grim reality. The dialogues are funny and light, keeping the whole novel appealing (even considering the dark topics).

Listened to the audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep. The story was extraordinarily fascinating or captivating on its own, but Meryl Streep’s narration was so fantastic, it carried the entire story! This is the story of a mother recounting her teenage summer when she acted in theatre and was so close to making it as a famous movie star, and how she dated someone who later turned out to be a Hollywood superstar. The story keeps us engaged, and the author takes us between different time periods, when Lara was her teenage self, and when she has grown up and is an elderly mother of three women. It explores the relationship between all characters, friends, lovers, daughters alike. Although, I feel like the story would have had a more complete feel to it if Duke’s point of view was included as well. We can all agree Duke was a jerk, but it would have been good to hear what he thought of his actions. 5/5 stars for Meryl Streep’s narration, and 4/5 stars for the story.

My first Harlan Coben book, even though I have watched the Netflix series based on his book Fool Me Once. Interesting story, fast paced, action packed, kept me engaged throughout with no dull pages. Every once in a while, I had to skip a few sentences because my heart was in my mouth, and I wanted to know what happens without waiting for the sequence to play through. (Fast forward please). Very unbelievable plot developments and details are employed but in the pace of the story, they can be forgiven. I may be feeling generous with the rating, it looks like I enjoy everything I get my hands on!

The worst (yet) I have rated a book this year, but come on, 3 is not bad. It’s just not great. Good things first-

- I loved aunt Analea, such a quirky fun personality, her charms adding character to the apartment, always looking out for new adventures. If this book had been about her, I probably would have given it 5/5.

- The way the author describes grief and dealing with loss is just so heartbreaking yet powerful. My favourite quote from the book was “Because the things that mattered most never really left. The love stays. The love always stays, and so do we.” This made me cry. All the parts about grief and loss were beautiful.

- The premise in itself, and the potential of the story. Which was, unfortunately, lost in the romantic plot.

The not so great things -

- I will now vomit if I hear these two words being mentioned one more time - lemon, crooked.

- What is with Iwan’s eyes being pale grey and STORMING up with emotions? I shudder at the thought of having to look at anyone who had weird magical orbs eyes! 👀 🔮

- There is really no connection or chemistry in the romance (first time) and their relationship (?) made no sense at all! Really, you find a stranger at home and decide to give them a nickname LEMON after spending two hours together? Instant love is so out of fashion.

I get why this book is a huge hit, and I can see the appeal in grabbing this book for a quick and light whimsical read, but ahh looks like this is not my kind of pie (ha!).

Cozy and light read. I listened to the Audiobook version of this book, which kept me motivated to go on walks every day without fail. This story felt like one of those harmless world building games where you as a character have to build your own house, find your friends, make money, and just live happily ever after without any major conflicts. All the descriptions regarding food were amazing and I started wondering if I have to build a coffee shop now. A pleasant read, with not much of a plot.

I listened to the audiobook version; the narration was good. I was hooked onto the story for the entire first half where Takako finds herself taken advantage of, she falls into a sad lull of life, she discovers the joy of reading, she discovers the happiness of meeting and interacting with people, and she discovers herself and her voice so much so that she is able to shout at her shitty boyfriend who was double timing her earlier. The second half of the book was slow and pointless that I suddenly found more interesting stuff to do than listen to the audiobook. It took me 4 days to finish a 4-hour book and I have earlier finished listening to 10-hour audiobooks in less than 2 days. Not a fan of the second half but the first story was cute.

A story about growing up fast in a complicated family and discovering the ways of the world only to stumble onto some unpleasant experiences. This is a story of love, loss, regret, guilt, freedom, friendship, discovering oneself, standing up for oneself. A very raw story and if you have grown up in complicated family dynamics or if you have had someone close to you fall sick, you could relate. It is an inspirational story about finding yourself and your family while dealing with loss and regret. The little insights into why her family behaved the way they did at the end, sounded just like something out of real life. This book tackles some difficult themes with compassion, and I found myself in tears while reading this on a train. This is a perfect book for me, I think I might go back to this story once in a while.

(I do want to say that I was unable to find the UK edition with the pretty cover and I was very disappointed)

This is what you would call a cozy fantasy. It reminded me of Legends & Lattes, although the stakes are higher and personal, and there is an actual story. It is an entertaining read with lovable characters and charming folklore.

All the characters were written very well and their chemistry worked for me - a lot of them also had good character development arcs, which I had not expected. Shadow was, of course, adorable. The easy relationship (based on banter) between Emily and Wendell was also fun to read. All the folklore or “fae” lore added magic to the story and were quite enjoyable to read. The story was somewhat slow paced at times but did not feel boring at any point. A quote that I will remember always - "Perhaps it is always restful to be around someone who does not expect anything from you beyond what is in your nature."

It is narrated as Emily’s diary entries, and romance is not the main focus of the book, so people looking to find a fantasy romance may be disappointed.

To summarize - cute and wholesome fantasy novel with magical creatures.

I think I will try and grab the sequels :-)

What a brilliant book! Went into this, not knowing anything about SriLankan politics or the wars. The plot, with the heaven and afterlife and wandering souls and demons and protests and raw real people doing real people things, was refreshing. Absolutely a great book with a unique story to start the year with, I remember gushing about the story to anyone who would listen.

This story seems to drag on forever! I can't recall the last time I spent more than a week on a thriller. Despite all the hype surrounding this Stephen King book, I think I made the wrong choice for my first read. It felt like it was needlessly drawn out. I did enjoy the parts with Alice, they added some fun to the mix. However, I couldn't connect with Billy's character, so I found it hard to care about his fate. Plus, I'm not a fan of war stories, so those parts fell flat for me. It wasn't until halfway through that I felt like the story finally started to pick up some momentum. I am writing this review at about 300/432 pages because I am starting to get impatient and hoping this novel ends soon or starts to evoke some emotion in me.

Just finished reading and I think the ending is beautiful. Everything else - meh.

Two absolutely amazing reads one after the other?

This book starts out engaging, drawing you into the story of the two children who bonded over games. Then it becomes slow and detailed as it takes you through the adult life of these children, still passionate about games. There are some heartbreaking scenes in this book, so be prepared. But this is a beautiful, well written (although sometimes it felt too literary and it annoyed me that the flow of the story was disturbed by a sophisticated unknown literary word which could have been replaced by a normal one most readers would know (I'm looking at you - GROK!), raw and emotional world with adorable characters who do not pretend to be perfect. Kind of sounds like a believable story, in fact, and pulled at all my heartstrings. Definitely would recommend today, and tomorrow and tomorrow. I loved all the game and book references, very refreshing to read.

Ah, the perfect wholesome book. Finally, a story that focuses on the emotional connection of the main characters. I hate romantic comedies because they all seem too similar - tall brooding guy, tiny sunshiney girl, immediate attraction, brooding guy is mean to everyone but sunshiney girl makes him want to be better. We’ve seen this countless times. This is a break from the tropes. Characters that behave like normal humans, a normal happy family, friends that mess up, a toxic ex. This story is kinda believable. And no spicy scenes!! Just a fun book which makes up for a light, feel-good read. Nothing too “rom-comy”, if you know what I mean.💖

It’s a hot Saturday, and I started this book at 7 in the morning. From then on, it’s been a day devoted entirely to reading; now, I am down to 100 pages left.

Japanese fiction has always struck me as fantastical and peculiar, blurring the lines between reality and imagination – and this book is no exception. As I immerse myself in its pages, I almost believe these characters could truly exist, convening at this mysterious castle. The narrative is captivating and refreshingly original, with well-developed characters that stir a strong sense of empathy within me. The exploration of mental health issues and the challenges of adolescence are skillfully woven into the story - I remain deeply engaged and able to relate even as an adult.

Damnit, the ending! It's delivered in such a beautiful way. While the major twists – the characters being from different times and the revelation about the wolf queen's herself being included in the list of characters with the 7-year age gap – didn't HIT me since I already had them figured out, the touching interaction between Rion and his sister, the wolf queen, left me with goosebumps. Learning the true identity of the kind-hearted teacher and the motivations behind her establishment of a school for marginalized children was equally moving. This book handles the delicate topic of mental health with grace and sensitivity. I'm grateful to my friend for recommending such a gem.

What in the world did I just read! What a ride! I honestly would have had heartburn if I had not reached to the ending of the book by the time I did. Suspended life for a day to read this book. I had read “The One” by this same author John Marrs previously and found it good as well. Absolutely crazy story, with only a handful of characters. You will keep changing your opinion on the two main characters after each chapter, deeming each of them the bad guy alternatively. At a point you can indeed guess which version is the truth and which version is warped, and although some of their choices seem too far-fetched, this is one hell of a roller coaster ride. I could not contain the suspense, and I had to cheat and google the ending at about 92%. Ahem. But even knowing the ending, the rest of the story was still wild.

This is a confusing book. Even though the book is presented as a murder mystery, the murder is only the supporting character here. I was quite invested in the characters, and their quirks and as it got to the end of the book, it felt like finally there was going to be a neat little conclusion. Which never came. The end was disappointing, it felt rushed and incomplete and out of character. Chaotic even. At 90%, I was ready to buy the next three books in the series but the last 10% has now gotten me thinking. I loved all the stories of the four characters, and even though Elizabeth is a badass and we don’t know what kind of job she held that explains how everyone in the world offers her a favour, it was still very interesting to read about their clever adventures and conclusions. I feel robbed of a good ending, though.

Magnificently crafted masterpiece! How can Frederick Beckman write about such heavy topics in such a way that we find no fault to any sides? How is he such a master storyteller? Some chapters end in cliffhangers and the story might continue only a few chapters later but still feel seamless. There are many points of view which gets confusing at first, because of the number of characters in this book and it starts out slow because it is trying to set the scene for a town that revolves around its hockey and its hockey players. This book might come to be known as a classic in the future, the author captures complex human emotions and moral grey areas so well. Listened to the audiobook version, and the narrator did an outstanding job!

The snake eats the frog. The frog eats the slug. The slug dissolves the snake. What a foreboding tale! And a unique and intriguing plot. A locked room mystery with easy narration. It is slightly repetitive with its tangents but not too bad for someone who is invested in the mystery. Ending is predictable to a degree but will still come as a shock with all the details - lots of gruesome ones at that. The tattoo world portrayed is mesmerizing. I enjoyed the book, and the mystery - I have no complaints.

My friends gave me the perfect book as a birthday gift. A very moving and thought-provoking story about the people we meet in life and the stories we create. A beautiful tale about the narratives we set not just in our lives but in the lives of others who we love but also others who we only have chance encounters with. Emotional towards the end. Easy read, can recommend to anyone. Such simple language, yet such compelling stories.

A wonderful reimagining of Circe’s story. Circe, who was tortured as a child for not being beautiful enough, for not being powerful enough. Circe, who was exiled for being kind. Circe, who was naïve and tried to find the best in others. Circe, who used her powers to turn men into pigs when they tried to harm her. Circe, who finally learnt to live with herself. Circe, who is not Goddess enough, and not human enough. I felt compassion for her character, who finally found peace in who she was, even though she had done some cruel and evil acts. A morally grey character, and many many relationships - some bad, some good, some heartbreaking. What else does a story need? (for anyone looking to read a Greek mythology retelling, this might not be your cup of tea - this has little of everything else that goes on in the world of Greek Gods, this is purely Circe’s story).

When in doubt, or in a reading slump, I always pick up one of Christie’s books. It’s a habit of comfort. This book did not disappoint. The reveal came as a bit of a shock. This is not a complaint, as this book was written decades ago and was representative of its time but the repeated mentions of women being catty to each other, and shaming of modern women was a tad bit too frustrating to get my head around (and the reason why I’ve given 3 stars when I really thought the story deserved 4). But Christie is a master of storytelling, and apart from the occasional snobbishness, the plot and the drama was spot on. 🤌🏼

Classic Agatha Christie novel. Can finish in one single sitting. I did not remember reading this earlier (even though I definitely had). Wonderful setting, characters felt more compelling, and Poirot as usual, felt quite like an amiable yet irritating uncle. Comfortable read. Christie books always feel like coming home to have my favorite dinner from childhood (does that make me a creep?)